Episode 21: Ken Bruen Revealed

Behind the Black Mask: Mystery Writers Revealed

Ken Bruen's PRIEST, the fifth entry in the award-winning Jack Taylor series, has been nominated for the 2008 Edgar for Best Novel, and that still may not be high enough praise. PRIEST is the story of Galway, Ireland, a city in transition from tradition to modernity, from impoverished but united community to cutthroat capitalistic individualism, from staunch Catholicism to a crisis of consciousness. When Jack Taylor is thrust back into his native city, he is in a similar state. He's a man in transition, a man who has lost his way and his faith, a man ravaged by alcohol and terrible secrets of a childhood cut short. The city and the man take the same evasive tact, trying to go numb, trying not to care. But when a priest is beheaded in the confessional, the public—hardened as it is by revelations of clerical abuse—is outraged. Reluctantly, former investigator Taylor agrees to look into the mystery he fears will take him "into the heart of the Irish soul." It does one better. It takes him into the heart of his own soul—the darkest and loneliest place a man can go. This podcast is brought to you by Clute and Edwards of www.noircast.net. To leave a comment on this episode, or make a donation to the podcast, please visit "Behind the Black Mask: Mystery Writers Revealed" at http://btbm.libsyn.com.